The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced on August 3 that they launched the 'Global Festa Check-in 2026' campaign for foreign tourists at the Boryeong Mud Festival in South Chungcheong Province on July 31.
This campaign aims to provide reliable food options and related information for foreign tourists, coinciding with the opening of the Boryeong Mud Festival, which has gained global recognition. Officials from the Ministry, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Korea Tourism Organization, and representatives from Boryeong, Suwon, Andong, Jinju, and Hwacheon attended the event, where they presented three key tasks: fair pricing, hospitality for foreigners, and unique local experiences. Participants also engaged in in-depth discussions on collaborative improvements for foreign-friendly global festivals.
On-site inspections were conducted, where attendees reviewed food pop-ups and promotional booths for global festivals. They specifically compared the information provided by the 'Food Alio' service, which shares details about festival food options, including menu, prices, and weight, with actual offerings at the festival to ensure reasonable food services.
Additionally, the Korea Tourism Organization showcased various experiential programs to promote global festivals and related tourism content. Activities included a 'Where's Wally?' stamp tour to encourage visits to the six global festivals, an event to promote safety culture in sea travel, and a verification event for the Food Alio service, attracting visitors to the festival.
Park Jeong-woong, head of the Korea Tourism Organization's National Tourism Division, stated, "We will develop local festivals, including the six global festivals, into tourism content that attracts people from around the world, enhancing the competitiveness of local tourism. We aim to expand trust-based services like Food Alio and create a festival environment where pricing, hospitality, and experiences harmonize to boost the global competitiveness of Korean festivals."
The 'Global Festival' initiative, promoted by the Ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization, is a three-year concentrated support project aimed at developing local festivals into global tourism content. The six festivals included are the Boryeong Mud Festival, Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, Andong International Mask Dance Festival, Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival, Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival, and Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (January 2027).
Furthermore, the Korea Tourism Organization is also focusing on promoting four preliminary global festivals: the Daegu Chimaek Festival, Jeongnamjin Jangheung Water Festival, Busan International Rock Festival, and Suncheon Jangyu Festival.
Meanwhile, bolstered by the development of K-festivals and enhanced tourism infrastructure, the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea and their spending has significantly increased. According to the Ministry, as of June 28, the total number of foreign tourists who visited Korea in June reached 1.99 million, a 23.1% increase compared to the same month last year. This brings the total number of visitors for the first half of the year to 10.71 million.
Foreign tourists have also increased their spending. From January to June this year, the cumulative credit card spending by foreign tourists reached 10.39 trillion won, a 50.8% increase compared to the same period last year, which recorded 6.67 trillion won.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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